


I'm going to fight for what I have left

by kurtswagner



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) - Fandom
Genre: Gen, Mother-Son Relationship, Raven cares, she's just bad at showing it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-07-11 07:15:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7035349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurtswagner/pseuds/kurtswagner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"On her way to the seedy building in Berlin, she has her doubts. But after seeing him with her own two eyes, she was sure he was hers."</p><p>Or, why Raven keeps the fact that Kurt is her son a secret.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm going to fight for what I have left

**Author's Note:**

> While watching Apocalypse, I kept track of all the times Raven could have told Kurt (or anyone else) that he was her son. This is a story/drabble/thing examining why she didn't tell anyone. Title is obvs a quote from the movie. Enjoy!

She’s gathering information from Caliban when he mentions something about Germany, a cage mutant cage match, a blue mutant that bares resemblance to a demon and has the ability to teleport. She’s never left somewhere as fast as she did then.

* * *

On her way to the seedy building in Berlin, she has her doubts. But after seeing him with her own two eyes, she was sure he was hers. The cage opens, and the lanky blue teen comes tumbling out, landing on all fours as the spectators look on and laugh. He looks around with wide eyes, obviously terrified as the winged mutant lunges at him. At his attempt to teleport away, latching onto the sides of the cage, the aforementioned “Nightcrawler” falls to the ground, the result of an electric current running through the cage. That’s when Raven makes her move. 

It’s not long before she’s ushering the boy out of the building, hiding him in a jacket and transforming in order to evade their pursuers. After changing back, she notices the look of awe in his eyes. Instead of addressing it, she tells him to teleport them far, far away. 

* * *

He wants to come with her. She just rescued him and he wants to follow her into possibly even more danger. In the process of getting him a passport, Caliban brings up Erik, and Raven is thrown for a loop. If Erik is in trouble, she has the urge to help, but… She casts a look back to her son, who’s grinning widely for his passport photo, and makes a decision. 

She’ll go to Charles first. No matter how hard it would be for her, it was best for Erik. 

And maybe best for her son. 

“Come with me, Crawler,” she gestures to him as she walks up the stairs. There’s a yell of protest as he corrects her, and she hears her son’s _real_ name for the first time. 

* * *

The trip to Weschester is long and taxing. Kurt has an abundance of questions, some of which she flat-out ignores. His seemingly unwavering enthusiasm was a surprise, considering that she had just rescued him from what she would consider a traumatic experience. Arriving at the mansion had spurred a new barrage of questions, and Raven strode in, meeting Hank almost right away. He pulls her away to speak to Charles, leaving Kurt behind in what she hopes are the safe hands of one of Charles’ students. 

* * *

Raven almost punches Charles for saying that mutants have it better off, that they could co-exist with “normal” humans. If mutants were being treated so much better, why were they forced to fight against each other in cages? Why had her son been forced to fight for his life for the amusement of others? 

She forced this all down. Erik needed their help.

* * *

After the mansion is destroyed, and mostly everyone is saved by Peter, Raven couldn’t help herself from looking around frantically, and can only feel herself calming when the car containing Kurt and three other students pulls up. 

When Scott goes running into the wreckage, Kurt and Jean follow. Before anyone can tell them to stop (for all they know, it still might be dangerous), a helicopter promising medical aid lands. 

She knows this is a lie as soon as she sees Stryker. She hopes that he’ll leave her son alone. 

* * *

Something has been going on a rampage up there, and Raven is fine with it, as long as it leaves the four of them alone. After quite a long time of no movement from any of their captors, they see a blue head peak through the window of them, and Raven feels anger well up from inside her. Why was her son here? Had Stryker done anything to him? Before any of the questions had the chance to be answered, Kurt instructed them to back away from the door. 

Her son had come to save them. 

* * *

As she’s giving the kids a pep-talk in the jet, she feels like this is the most opportune time to tell him. They’re going up against a powerful adversary, and they might not all make it through this. She tells herself that if she admits the fact that she thinks they won’t all make it back, they’ll all be even more worried. 

She bites her tongue and hopes that she’ll have the chance to tell him after this. 

* * *

Erik and Peter are both there, fighting, for their families. Raven thinks about Kurt and hopes that he’s okay. 

* * *

When En Sabah Nur has her in a chokehold, and she can feel herself slipping away, she’s glad she didn’t tell him. She’s glad he doesn’t know he’s about to lose his mother. 

* * *

When the battle is over, and they are all gathered together in their little room, even though she’s hurt and tired and emotionally drained, Raven scans the room for Kurt. While she’s worried about his unconscious state, he doesn’t look like he’s been hurt physically, and she allows herself to relax. 

When he wakes with a start, she finds herself smiling. 

* * *

On their first day of training in the Danger Room, Raven addresses the new X-Men. While she’s giving her speech, telling them to forget everything they learned from school, or from their parents, her eyes settle on Kurt. 

Kurt, who had never learned anything from school. Kurt, who had never learned anything from his parents. From her. 

But he was strong, and brave, and kind. He had helped to save everyone during their battle with En Sabah Nur. 

As he flexed and barred his teeth, obviously excited, Raven grinned. 

He had turned out just fine without her.


End file.
